Senior Manager, Quality & Operational Excellence at M-KOPA Solar

In this role, you would be responsible for:

Strategic Leadership & Direction

• Defining and executing the strategic direction for Quality & Operational Excellence aligned with M-KOPA Kenya's business objectives
• Translating company strategic priorities into clear operational excellence roadmaps, quality frameworks, and capability development strategies
• Providing strategic recommendations to senior leadership on operational risk landscape, quality maturity, and investment priorities
• Championing operational excellence culture, positioning quality and continuous improvement as business enablers

Team Leadership & Development

• Leading and developing a three-pillar leadership team (Managers of QA & Compliance, Training & Development, Process Excellence)
• Making strategic organizational design decisions including structure optimization, talent acquisition, and resource allocation
• Creating a high-performance culture centered on independence, objectivity, data-driven decision-making, and continuous improvement

Cross-Functional Influence & Partnerships

• Building strategic partnerships with operational department heads (Telesales, Customer Care, Retail) ensuring Q&OE is positioned as a valued business partner
• Collaborating with Risk & Compliance team, maintaining clear boundaries between operational integrity (Q&OE scope) and strategic enterprise risk (R&C scope)
• Partnering with Global QA/Training leadership to leverage global frameworks while owning local execution and results
• Navigating organizational complexity and managing resistance when quality standards conflict with short-term operational pressures

Governance & Standards

• Maintaining robust governance frameworks including quality councils, calibration sessions, audit protocols, and escalation mechanisms
• Ensuring quality standards, audit methodologies, and compliance frameworks remain current and consistently applied across all channels
• Driving accountability for quality outcomes with operational leaders through transparent scorecards and data-driven performance conversations
• Balancing independence and objectivity with collaborative partnership, maintaining appropriate distance while building trust

Strategic Oversight & Performance Management

• Providing strategic direction and oversight to Quality Assurance & Compliance, Training & Capability Development, and Process Excellence operations
• Monitoring department performance against established KPIs and demonstrating business impact through clear metrics: fraud prevention savings, efficiency improvements, quality score gains, and training effectiveness
• Developing and delivering executive reporting that enables senior leadership to make informed decisions about operational investments and priorities
• Maintaining transparency on operational gaps and quality concerns, ensuring leadership has full visibility

Risk Management & Preventive Controls

• Maintaining comprehensive view of operational risk landscape through analysis of audit findings, quality trends, and process inefficiencies
• Ensuring preventive control mechanisms identify system vulnerabilities, fraud patterns, and compliance risks before they materialize
• Balancing risk mitigation with operational efficiency, ensuring controls are effective without creating unnecessary bureaucracy

Change Management & Continuous Improvement

• Leading organizational change initiatives related to quality standards, process improvements, and operational excellence practices
• Driving cultural transformation toward operational excellence mindset where preventive thinking and continuous improvement are embedded in daily operations
• Sponsoring strategic improvement initiatives requiring cross-functional collaboration and executive support

Resource Management & Strategic Planning

• Developing annual strategic plans for Q&OE function aligned with business priorities
• Managing departmental budget across all three pillars, optimizing resource allocation to maximize business impact and ROI
• Making strategic investment decisions on quality infrastructure with clear business case justification

Additional Responsibilities

• Performing any additional tasks as assigned by Head of Operations
• This is a senior management role (Job Band C1) based in Nairobi, Kenya. If successful, you would be reporting to the Head of Operations. Your direct reports would include Manager - Quality Assurance & Compliance, Manager - Training & Capability Development, and Manager - Process Excellence. You will also have dotted line collaboration with Global QA/Training Leadership for methodology alignment and resource sharing.

Your application should demonstrate:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, or related field (Advanced degree - MBA, Master's in Quality Management - preferred)
• 8+ years of progressive leadership experience in quality assurance, operational excellence, or operations management within contact center, retail, telecommunications, financial services, or BPO environments
• 5+ years of senior people leadership experience managing managers and leading multi-functional teams
• Strategic thinking and business acumen with proven ability to operate independently at a senior level, translating company strategy into operational excellence roadmaps with minimal guidance
• Deep expertise in quality management frameworks, audit methodologies, compliance monitoring, training effectiveness measurement, and process improvement disciplines
• Outstanding cross-functional stakeholder management and strategic influencing skills with demonstrated ability to drive consensus without direct operational authority
• Exceptional executive communication skills with proven ability to present to C-suite, translating complex quality data into compelling business narratives
• Change management capability with track record of driving organizational transformation and building buy-in for operational excellence initiatives
• Strong understanding of operational risk management, internal controls, fraud prevention, and compliance requirements
• Data-driven decision-making expertise with experience building executive dashboards and demonstrating ROI of quality investments
• Budget management and financial acumen with experience managing departmental P&L and making strategic resource allocation decisions
• Experience partnering with global or regional centers of excellence while maintaining local execution ownership and accountability
• Industry benchmarking knowledge with awareness of best practices from leading operations organizations in quality and operational excellence
• Process improvement proficiency with working knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, or similar methodologies (Formal certification - Green Belt or higher - is an advantage)

Critical Success Factors:

• Ability to operate strategically at senior level with minimal guidance
• Strategic influencing skills to drive accountability without direct operational authority
• Balance between independence/objectivity and collaborative partnership
• Executive presence to represent Q&OE function credibly in senior forums
• Resilience to uphold standards while maintaining productive working relationships
• Strategic patience and emotional intelligence to influence operational culture over time
• Business acumen to position quality as an enabler of growth rather than a constraint